Clay shooting simulation system

ABSTRACT

A clay shooting simulation system is provided which comprises, in combination, at least a first projector providing a visible mark, at least a second projector providing an invisible mark, a screen, a mirror adapted to reflect the visible mark and the invisible mark to the screen, apparatus for moving the mirror three-dimensionally thereby moving the two marks on the screen such that the invisible mark leads the visible mark to simulate a lead-sighting point in actual clay shooting, a light-receiving type gun responsive to an invisible light beam reflected from the invisible mark on the screen and an electric system responsive to an operation of the gun to inform a hitting to an operator.

:aea i 1 2* 5a xtz mile-@ 264 United States Patent [191 Yokoi CLAY SHOOTING SIMULATION SYSTEM [75] Inventor: Gunpei Yokoi, Kyoto, Japan [73] Assignee: Nintendo Co., Ltd., Kyoto, Japan [22] Filed: Jan. 31, 1974 [21] App]. No.: 438,262

[451 Sept. 9, 1975 2 1974 Marshal 35 25 6/1974 Marshal 35/25 57 j ABSTRACT A clay shooting simulation system is provided which comprises, in combination, at least a first projector providing a visible mark, at least a second projector providing an invisible mark,- a screen, a mirror adapted to reflect the visible mark and the invisible mark to the screen, apparatus for moving the mirror three-dimensionally thereby moving the two marks on the screen such that the invisible mark leads the visible mark to simulate a lead-sighting point in actual clay shooting, a light-receiving type gun responsive to an invisible light beam reflected from the invisible mark on the screen and an electric system responsive to an operation of the gun to inform a hitting to an operator.

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CLAY SHOOTING SIMULATION SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a clay shooting simulation system suitable to use in the training of the clay shooting or for the amusement purpose.

Several kinds of indoor type such systems have been known and one of them which has been developed most recently utilizes a light-emittingtype gun and a clay pigeon provided with a light responsive element. In this system, the clay pigeon is actually discharged and the shooter sights the clay pigeon. Since the light responsive element is provided in the clay, the hitting occurs when the light beam from the gun enters the light responsive element. Therefore, the lead-sighting which must be required in the actual clay shooting can not be simulated by this system. Furthermore, since the clay pigeon flies actually, the recovery thereof is required.

The present invention intended to provide a novel clay shooting simulation system which can simulate the actual clay shooting almost completely.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises, in combination, a screen, at least a first projector adapted to project a visible light mark to be focussed on thescreen, at least a second projector adapted to project an invisible mark tobe focussed on the same screen, at least one mirror means adapted to reflect the two marks projected by the first and second projectors respectively to the screen, at least one means for providing continuous movements of the mirror means and the second projector with a specific continuous relative movement between the two rnarks on the screen such that the visible mark moves along a locus simulating an actual flying locus of a clay pigeon and the invisible mark always exists at a position leading the visible mark so that the invisible mark simulates a lead-sighting point with respect to the visible mark, at least one light-receiving type gun adapted to receive a light beam reflected from the invisible mark on the screen and means responsive to a receiption of the light beam by the gun for informing the hitting to an operator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates schematically the present system,

FIG. 2 is a plane view of the system of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of an iris means of a visible mark projector,

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along a line IVIV in FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along a line VV in FIG. 4,

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a change in aperture size of the iris means,

FIGS. 8 and 9 show relative positions of the mirror with respect to the projectors,

FIG. 10 shows a change in position of the invisible mark on the screen according to the relative positions in FIGS. 8 and 9,

FIG. 11a shows another relative position and FIG. 1 1b shows the result obtainable by the relative position in FIG. 11a,

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the mechanical portion of the present system,

FIG. 13 shows one of the cam mechanisms used in the mechanism in FIG. 12,

FIGS. 14a to 14d show the operations and the effects of the cam mechanism in FIG. 13,

FIG. 15 A to ISD is a plane view of the mechanism in FIG. 12,

FIG. 16A to 16C is a similar plane view to FIG. 15 and shows the movements of the invisible mark on the screen due to the movement of the invisible projector,

FIG. 17 shows locuses of the marks on the screen which are obtained by combining the locuses of FIGS. 14d and 160,

FIG. 18 is various locuses of the marks on the screen,

FIG. 19 shows an example of the light receiving type guns suitable to use in the present system,

FIG. 20 is a detail of a portion of the gun of FIG. 19,

FIG. 21 is a cross section of a case and a charging means thereof,

FIG. 22a shows an electric system of the present system,

FIG. 22b is an example of a possibility determination circuit in FIG. 22a,

FIG. 22c.is a graph of the pulse trains showing the pulse delay FIG. 23 is a modification of the present mechanical arrangement,

FIG. 24a is a perspective view of a main portion of the arrangement of FIG. 23,

FIG. 24b is a schematical plane view of-the main portion of FIG. 2 1a,v

FIG. 240 is a schematical side view of the main portion of FIG. 24, and

FIG. 25 is another example of the iris means of the projector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Returning to the drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will now be explained.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a laser clay shooting simulation system according to the present invention and FIG.2 is a plane view of the system in FIG. 1. In general, a scene in a landscape is projected onto a screen 4 by a suitable projector 6 disposed behind of the screen 4 or by a projector 6 disposed in front of the screen 4, if necessary. On the same screen 4, a visible target mark A is also projected through a mirror 8 at which a clay shooter looks. Further, an invisible real target mark B is projected onto the same screen 4 in the similar manner. The visible imaginary target mark A and the invisible real target mark B are made to move on the screen 4 with a special interrelation therebetween in such a manner that they simulate an actual flying locus of a clay pigeon in the clay shooting area. The special interrelation between the marks A and B are provided by a special relative movements of the mirror 8 and the projectors 2A and 2B associated with the respective marks A and B. When the shooter who has been recognizing the imaginary mark A moving on the screen 4 makes a correct over-sighting or lead-sighting with a receiving-light type gun 10, the muzzle of the gun will be directed to the real mark B and a light beam reflected from the mark B on the screen 4 is received by the gun through the muzzle thereof. At that instance, if a trigger of the gun is operated by the shooter, a light receiving means housed in the gun 10 is actuated. Upon the actuation of the light receiving means an electric receiver 12 and a control circuit are actu- 

1. A clay shooting simulation system comprising, in combination, a screen, at least a first projector adapted to project a visible light mark to be focussed on said screen, at least a second projector adapted to project an invisible light mark to be focussed on said screen, at least one mirror means adapted to reflect the visible light mark and the invisible light mark projected by said first and second projectors respectively to said screen, at least one means for providing continuous movements of said mirror means and said second projector with a specific continuous relative movement between the visible mark and the invisible mark on said screen such that the visible mark moves along a locus simulating an actual flying locus of a clay pigeon and the invisible mark always exists at a positon leading the visible mark so that the invisible mark simulates a leadsighting point with respect to the visible mark, at least one light-receiving type gun adapted to receive a light beam reflected from the invisible mark on said screen and means responsive only to a reception of the invisible light beam by said gun for informing a hitting.
 2. A clay shooting simulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first projector comprises a light source, a shutter means, an iris means having a rotatably supported disk provided with a central opening and a plurality of pins implanted thereto and an optical lens system, the aperture of said iris means being determined by the movements of said pins due to the rotation of said disk.
 3. A clay shooting simulation system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the rotation of said disk is controlled by said meand for providing continuous movements.
 4. A clay shooting simulating system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first projector comprises a light source, a shutter means, an iris means and an optical lens system, said iris means including a plurality of iris plates each supported slidably in radial direction and biased outwardly and an annular cam member having inner cam surface, said iris plates being slided inwardly by the rotation of said cam member to reduce the iris aperture.
 5. A clay shooting simulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for providing continuous movements comprises a first means for moving the visible mark and the invisible mark on said screen in vertical direction and a second means for moving the first and second marks in horizontal direction.
 6. A clay shooting simulation system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said first means is means for continuously varying the vertical angle of said mirror according to a parabolic cam surface of a first cam member and said second means is means for continuously varying the horizontal angle of said mirror according to a linear cam surface of a second cam member.
 7. A clay shooting simulation system as set forth in claim 6, further comprising means for determining the shape of the parabolic cam surface of said first cam member and the angle of the linear cam surface of said second cam member.
 8. A clay shooting simulation system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said means for providing continuous movements further comprises means for moving said second projector vertically with respect to said first projector.
 9. A clay shooting simulation system as set forth in claim 8, wherein saId means for moving said second projector includes a second linear cam member, the cam surface of which is associated with the shape of the parabolic cam surface of said first cam member.
 10. A clay shooting simulation system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said means for providing continuous movements further comprising means for swinging said second projector in a horizontal plane with respect to said first projector according to said first linear cam.
 11. A clay shooting simulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said light-receiving type gun includes means for producing a predetermined signal in response to an operation of a trigger thereof and said means for informing a hitting includes means for producing a sound in response to the predetermined signal.
 12. A clay shooting simulation system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said gun includes means for producing a signal in response to a reception of a light beam by said gun which is reflected from the invisible mark on said screen and said means for informing the hitting includes means responsive to the last signal for deenergizing said first projector and energizing said third projector to thereby display a hitting mark at the same position where the visible mark existed.
 13. A clay shooting simulation system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising means for controlling a completion of the operation of said means for producing continuous movements.
 14. A clay shooting simulation system comprising, in combination, at least one guide rail, a first projector projecting a visible mark fixedly mounted adjacent to one end of said rail, an iris device housed in said first projector for changing the shape of the projected mark, a second projector projecting a visible mark having optical axis which is substantially coincident with that of said first projector, a projector projecting an invisible mark rotatably mounted for three dimensional movement at a position adjacent to said first and second projectors, a support means fixedly mounted adjacent to the other end of said rail, a mirror means rotatably supported for three-dimensional movement by said support means to receive light beams from said first and second projectors and said invisible mark projecting projector, a slide base slidable along said rail, a bias means for urging said slide base toward said support means, means for gauging said slide base to said iris device, a first means for moving said slide base against resistance from said bias means, a second means provided on one surface of said slide base for moving said mirror means reciprocally in a vertical plane according to the movement of said slide base, a third means provided on the other surface of said slide base for moving said invisible projector linearly in a vertical direction according to the movement of said slide base, a fourth means provided on said one surface of said slide base for moving linearly said mirror means and said invisible projector relative to one another in a horizontal plane according to the movement of said slide base, a first control means for controlling the operations of said first means, a second control means for exclusively controlling said second, third and fourth means and said first means, a screen adapted to receive light beams projected from said first or second projector and said invisible projector when reflected by said mirror means, a gun means operative in response to a reception of an invisible light beam projected from said invisible projector and reflected by said mirror means and then by said screen to produce an electric signal, means for controlling said first and second projectors in response to said electric signal, and means actuated by an operator for controlling said first and second control means. 